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We are
currently undergoing some updates and modifications to our
website. Please bear with us as we bring the
entire site up to speed - thanks!

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OPEN SEASON |
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Program |
Closes |
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Health Benefits |
01/28/09 @ 6:00 pm ET |
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To make Open Season selections go to
www.liteblue.usps.gov
and click on the PostalEASE
link |
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Dental & Vision |
01/28/09 @ 11:59 pm ET |
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To enroll in, or change selections for
the Vision & Dental Plans go to
https://www.benefeds.com/
and click
"Register & Enroll"
button |
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CHANGES TO FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: APWU FMLA
FORMS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE
Recent changes to the Family & Medical Leave Act enacted
by the Bush Administration, mean that employees will no
longer be able to submit the APWU forms to certify their
conditions or apply for FMLA protections. The
changes, which go into effect on January 16, 2008
require additional information that the APWU forms do
not provide. The APWU is working to redesign the
forms to comply with the new FMLA requirements.
When the new APWU forms are finalized we will make them
available to the membership. Until that time,
employees should use the Department of Labor form
WH-380 to certify their FMLA conditions.
WH-380 forms can be obtained from your supervisor, or
on-line. The District FMLA Coordinator should
send you a form WH-380 when you make an initial FMLA
request.
OPEN SEASON BENEFIT SELECTIONS
EXTENDED BY OPM
Open Season
for the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP)
will be extended, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
announced Dec. 8 [PDF]. OPM took this action in response
to concerns over a change in coverage in the Blue Cross
Blue Shield reimbursement that would have established a
$7,500 co-pay for out-of-network surgeries. Although OPM
instructed agencies in the federal program to extend the
enrollment period through January, the Postal Service
announced that “the new deadline to make employee
self service FEHB elections using PostalEASE is Dec. 28,
2008, at 5 p.m. CT.” The USPS did not offer an
explanation for its decision to close the enrollment
period a month before the deadline established by OPM.
More...
NEGOTIATIONS
ON MODIFIED 10/4 WORKWEEK REACH AN IMPASSE
Discussions
have been underway at the national level for several
months regarding the implementation of the Modified Work
Week known as “10-4,” where employees are scheduled to
work 10 hours per day, four days per week. Over
recent weeks these discussions have failed to make
significant progress and therefore I am unable to
project that a final agreement will be reached. Despite
the lack of progress, we will continue to explore
possibilities for reaching a settlement with management
on this matter. The subject of intense discussion
at the national level is the possibility of
requiring employees to work a modified work week
as a condition of their bid assignment. The
original pilot agreed to by the parties in 1994 limited
10-4 schedules to employees who volunteered for them and
had the option to discontinue their participation
at their discretion. Headquarters management has
proposed that the new program include a requirement that
all employees within a designated section be required to
work the modified work week as a condition of their bid
assignment.
more...
APWU
FILES UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE ON T-2 COMPRESSION PLANS
The APWU has
filed an
Unfair Labor
Practice charge [PDF]
against the Postal Service, alleging that management
failed to bargain over a nationwide plan to consolidate
mail processing into two tours — a plan that would
eliminate or greatly reduce the number of assignments on
Tour 2. The charge, filed Nov. 25 with the National
Labor Relations Board, also asserts that the Postal
Service failed to provide information to the union
regarding this initiative. In addition, the union
contends that it “can show that the Postal Service
answered the Union’s request for information
dishonestly,” which constitutes an independent violation
of management’s obligation to bargain in good faith.
The APWU has requested immediate, injunctive relief,
asserting that without such relief the initiative would
be completed before the board would be able to address
the charge. “Injunctive relief requiring the Postal
Service to provide information and to bargain is needed
now,” the complaint says.
more...
"T-2
COMPRESSION" COMING TO
LEHIGH VALLEY P&DC
Management has
notified the Union of it's desire to eliminate virtually
all T-2 jobs at the Lehigh Valley P&DC. This
decision is part of a nationwide plan to compress
facilities from three tour operations to two tours.
While management has not yet shared the specifics of the
package with the APWU yet, we can pass on some general
provisions of the plan. The Two Tour Initiative,
or T-2 Compression (as it is also called) calls for the
review and evaluation of every T-2 mail processing job.
If the job can be performed on another tour it is in
jeopardy of abolishment. Another aspect of
this change involves the establishment of 'one manual
tour' which would affect manual letter and flat
distribution jobs on T-3 and T-1. Initial feedback
indicates that management is determined to move all T-3
manual distribution operations from their current start
time to 18:00. The T-1 manual operations are
slated to move to 21:00.
Management, at
this time, indicates that they may retain a few
'necessary' clerk jobs on T-2 as well as staffing for
one FSM. The remainder of the clerk jobs face
abolishment. There will be new positions posted
for affected clerks to bid upon, however, they will
likely be on T-3 or T-1. The APWU continues to
negotiate with management to minimize the impact on
employees. To date, the APWU has not seen the
final staffing package, so we cannot say, with any
degree of certainty, whether the automation jobs will be
12:00 pm or 12:30 pm. Neither can we say how many
manual jobs will be posted or what the days off will
look like. We will pass along information as it
becomes available.
Ask President
Burrus:
With the
current financial problems, management is looking to
move mail from one installation to another, eliminate
Tour 2 operations, and change the days off of many mail
processing bids.... I remember the national union
suspended Article 37, giving locals latitude to allow
management to move employees beyond two hours and to
change off days without reposting the bid. This helped
greatly as employees were just moved, keeping their bid
positions. Is there any thought at the national level to
doing this again?
President Burrus Responds: I
have contacted the Postal Service and requested a
meeting to discuss the contractual obligations
associated with the elimination of Tour 2. During those
conversations we will discuss the options available to
local unions ...
read the rest of the
answer.
Employee
Claim for Personal Property - PS Form 2146
This form is now
available on-line for employee who have suffered damage
to personal property while on duty. The form must
be submitted (in triplicate) to your supervisor within
14 days of the loss / damage. To access this form,
click the FORMS button (left)
Flexible Spending Claim Forms
Are available
via the FORMS button (left). Completed forms can
be mailed or faxed to the FSA Office. For on-line
information concerning your FSA account, go to
www.myuhc.com
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